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This photo gallery is part of our new initiative, MT Listens. Learn more about the project here or be part of it by taking our survey.

Take a virtual stroll through Moss Point, a historic Mississippi community, through the lens of Mississippi Today photojournalist Vickie King.

Moss Point is one of five communities our newsroom is focusing on for our community listening project, MT Listens. The others are Canton, Yazoo City, Forest and New Albany.

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If you live in Canton, Yazoo City, Forest, Moss Point or New Albany, please take a minute to fill out the below survey, or share it with someone you know.

The post Photo gallery: Moss Point, ‘The River City’ appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Mississippi House and Senate negotiators have agreed to a draft bill for a medical marijuana program to replace the one approved by voters in Nov. 2020 but cancelled by the state Supreme Court in May 2021.

Lawmakers have asked Gov. Tate Reeves to call lawmakers into special session on Oct. 1 to address the legislation, which is subject to change (or to not be passed) by the full Legislature. Reeves, who had promised he would call lawmakers into session if they could agree on particulars of a medical marijuana program, has not said when or if he would call them back in.

Among other things, the 144-page draft bill would allow smoking of cannabis, allow cities and counties to “opt out” of the program and would be subject to state sales and excise taxes.

Click here to read the full bill, or read it below:

READ MORE: Summary of the long-awaited medical marijuana deal.

READ MORE: Gov. Reeves noncommittal as lawmakers ask him to call special session on marijuana, COVID-19

The post Read the bill: Mississippi’s long-awaited medical marijuana draft appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Jackson attorney Rob McDuff of the Mississippi Center for Justice discusses with Mississippi Today’s political reporters Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender the efforts of him and others to invalidate a state constitutional provision crafted in 1890 to prevent African Americans from voting.

Listen to more episodes of The Other Side here.

The post Podcast: Federal court hears case challenging Mississippi’s felony disenfranchisement law appeared first on Mississippi Today.

In this episode of Mississippi Stories, Mississippi Today Editor-At-Large Marshall Ramsey sits down with Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Sarah Story. Story became executive director of Mississippi Arts Commission in November 2020 and leads the state agency in its mission to be a catalyst for the arts and creativity in Mississippi. 

In this fun interview, Story talks about all the ways the MAC helps one of Mississippi’s greatest natural resources – its creatives. Story previously served as the executive director of the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden & Museum in Austin, Texas, which exhibits the work of Charles Umlauf, his influences, and other contemporary artists and as deputy director and project coordinator of the Ogden Museum in New Orleans. She received a BFA in painting from the University of Mississippi and a Master’s in Arts Administration from the University of New Orleans.

The post Mississippi Stories: Sarah Story appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, in his own low-key manner, spoke with sincerity and authority about the ravages of COVID-19 on himself, on others and on the state as a whole at a recent digital town hall hosted by Mississippi Today.

Hosemann contracted the coronavirus in the summer of 2020 and revealed his struggles to overcome the illness.

“I’ve run marathons, New York marathon and all the others, and I am a regular exerciser, let’s just put it that way,” he said. “And my goal some days (after getting COVID-19) was to try to walk a hundred steps, and many days it was difficult to do so, just a devastating thing.”

He also spoke empathetically of a friend — healthy, but unvaccinated — who died recently of COVID-19.

“One of the last things he said to his three sons before COVID claimed him was, ‘Please get vaccinated,’” Hosemann recalled.

The Republican lieutenant governor also put COVID-19 in the context of what it might mean for the long-term economic health of the state, calling it “the elephant in the room.”

“How do we sell businesses to come to Mississippi as the least vaccinated state? Is that our selling point? I don’t think so,” Hosemann said. “So all these (economic factors) have multiplier effects, not just from the actual virus itself, but also from the economic effects…And I want to be real clear about that. This is a negative economically to you and your family, but also to the whole state.”

Or put another way: Can Mississippi’s population decline be reversed, as leaders say they are striving to do, when the state is mired in some of the most negative coronavirus outcomes in the world?

A few days after Hosemann’s comments, Gov. Tate Reeves appeared on a national news show where he was asked about those bad outcomes — specifically, the state’s highest COVID-19 fatality rate in the country.

The governor’s response to a question about what he was doing to combat that high fatality rate appeared to be that it was only a matter of timing, and that the death rate was “a lagging indicator.” As other states experience the surge in cases that Mississippi endured in July and August, Reeves contended, they would surpass Mississippi as having the highest fatality rate.

Perhaps that is true, but surely no one is wishing that the death rate increases in other states.

In that national interview, the governor could have said correctly that Mississippi has some unique challenges in fighting COVID-19. For instance, he could have pointed out that Mississippi for decades has been one of the unhealthiest states in the nation with multiple diseases that unfortunately make people more susceptible to dying from the virus.

In addition, Mississippians have less access to health care providers than people in just about any other state.

Granted, Reeves didn’t bring any of those problems to Mississippi, though it could be debated whether his policies — as a key state policy maker for more than a decade — have done enough or anything to reverse those trends.

In addition, Reeves could have pointed out that Mississippi also faces unique challenges in dealing with getting people vaccinated. The state has the highest percentage of African Americans and one of the highest percentages of non-college educated white people in the nation. These are two groups with lower vaccination rates nationally, though it should be pointed out the percentage of Black Mississippians who have been vaccinated is higher than the national average for Black Americans.

Ultimately, there are many factors that place Mississippi behind the proverbial eight ball when it comes to battling COVID-19.

It also could be argued that those factors place more of a burden on Mississippi leadership to say and do the right thing to battle the pandemic. That is where many have questioned Reeves’ leadership. Many argue that his constant equivocation on whether Mississippians should be vaccinated has given people just another reason not to get the shots. He also has waged his war on mask wearing accusing people of “virtue signaling” for wearing a mask.

Reeves called the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation that even vaccinated people should wear a mask in some settings “foolish, and it is harmful. It reeks of political panic, so as to appear that they are in control. It has nothing, let me say that again: It has nothing to do with rational science.”

In a state like Mississippi, with so many pre-existing conditions that make fighting the coronavirus that much more difficult, the question is whether it is in the best interest of the leader of the state to spend time battling with others instead of fighting the pandemic.

As Hosemann pointed out, the future of the state and the lives of many of its citizens could hang in the balance.

The post Hosemann talks of COVID’s high cost to Mississippians. Reeves attacks. appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Last week, Mississippi surpassed New Jersey as the state with the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 citizens, credited to August’s overwhelming strain on the state’s healthcare system due to the spread of the delta variant and low rate of vaccination.

Gov. Tate Reeves continuously skirted inquiries into his plan to address the death rate on Sept. 19, even referring to the dead as “lagging indicators,” meaning a signal that may confirm a pattern already in progress.

View our latest Data Dive detailing COVID-19 death rates across the United States in comparison with each state’s population to demonstrate the scale of the impact of the death rate on that particular citizenry:

READ MORE:

• View all our COVID-19 in Mississippi data and resources.

The post Data: Mississippi ranks first in the country for highest COVID-19 death rate appeared first on Mississippi Today.

The Mississippi economy, based on its gross domestic product, is projected to grow during the current fiscal year at its fastest pace since 1994, State Economist Corey Miller told legislative leaders Friday.

“Mississippi’s economy, like the national economy, continues to recover from the relatively brief but steep recession experienced in 2020,” Miller said, referring to the coronavirus-related recession that occurred last spring.

Miller said the infusion of federal funds, including direct payments to most adults and tax credits for children, and “the pent up demand” for retail items are helping to spur that growth.

Miller’s comments came during a meeting of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Members of the committee are working to develop a budget recommendation for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1. The full Legislature will convene in January to begin the task of approving that budget.

The GDP, or total value of goods and services, is projected to grow 5.5% for the 2021 calendar year, which Miller said would be the best rate of growth since the 1990s when the casino industry first took off in the state creating an economic boon. The national GDP is projected to grow by 5.7% — the best since 1984.

Miller said the state’s GDP growth is expected to slow in 2022 to about 1%, which has been the normal rate of growth for the state. The national economy is expected to experience more robust growth during the upcoming calendar year.

In some ways, though the state is currently growing at a stronger rate than the nation, Miller said.

“As of August, Mississippi has recovered 79.7% of the jobs lost in March and April of 2020, a higher percentage than the U.S. economy,” he said. “Mississippi did not lose as many jobs as a share of total employment last year as the U.S. did, contributing to the recovery, and the state’s economy fully reopened sooner that the nation as a whole.”

The state has added 6,600 jobs through August of this year, the best rate of growth since 1998. The 6,600 jobs added included the state losing 4,100 jobs during August as the COVID-19 pandemic surged in the state.

Overall, the surge in COVID-19 cases this summer has slowed both the Mississippi and national economies, though strong growth is still occurring.

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann expressed concern about the rising inflation rates and said that should be factored in as legislators work to craft a budget.

Miller said the projection is for an inflation rate of 4.2% for the year, which would be the largest increase since 1980. The inflation rate is expected to slow to 2.2% the following year.

The higher inflation rate comes as the nation and the state experience significant growth in wages. State wages are expected to grow by about 8% for the year.

Those higher wages, while good for Mississippi workers, are causing problems for state agencies that are having a difficult time maintaining employees.

Hosemann asked Department of Revenue Commissioner Chris Graham whether he was able to hire the additional auditors funded by the Legislature in the 2021 session. Graham said he was able to fill eight of the 10 slots, but other auditors already employment by the Department of Revenue resigned, meaning there are less auditors now than before he started the hiring process.

Graham said he is having trouble filling other positions, including in the Alcohol Beverage Control warehouse that provides state retailers liquor and wine. He said there is generally a two week delay from when a retailer submits an order before it is delivered.

“Our applications (for employment) have dried up,” Graham told legislators.

Other agency heads expressed similar concerns.

“We are no longer in a position to adequately compete with the private sector,” said Department of Transportation Executive Director Brad White.

Kelly Hardwick, executive director of the state Personnel Board, told legislators that a new system will be put in place to classify state workers and their salaries. He said that will make it easier to compare the salary and benefits of state employees to those in the private sector and surrounding states.

He said the average annual salary of Mississippi state employees is $41,260, which is about $9,000 below that of state employees in surrounding states. That comparison does not factor in benefits. When the new system is put in place, benefits such as health care and pension also can be compared.

The post State economist cites strong growth as legislative leaders begin budget work appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn on Friday said they’ve asked fellow Republican Gov. Tate Reeves to call lawmakers into special session next week to deal with medical marijuana and the COVID-19 crisis in Mississippi.

“We believe the number-one issue going on in our state right now is the pandemic crisis,” Gunn said. “We have a crisis in Mississippi and we want to give some attention to that.”

Reeves’ office on Friday had little comment and was noncommittal on whether he would call a special session or when.

READ MORE: Lawmakers reach long-awaited medical marijuana deal. Here are the details (updated).

House and Senate negotiators and legislative leadership agreed on a draft of a medical marijuana bill to replace the program adopted by voters in November but shot down in May by the Mississippi Supreme Court. Reeves has said he would call lawmakers into special session on medical marijuana provided they reached such an agreement.

But the governor, who has sole authority to call a special session and set its agenda, has appeared less open to adding other issues to the call. He has had a rocky relationship with the Legislature, and has clashed particularly with lawmakers over control of spending federal pandemic stimulus money. Reeves has also said he doesn’t want lawmakers tied up at length in a special session, which would cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars a day.

Asked for comment on Friday, Reeves spokeswoman Bailey Martin in a statement said: “Staff from the Governor’s office and Legislature met together to discuss it today, and we are looking forward to engaging further.”

Hosemann and Gunn said they asked Reeves to call the session for Friday, Oct. 1, and they believe lawmakers could finish business in one day.

Besides medical marijuana, Hosemann and Gunn said they asked Reeves to allow lawmakers to address:

The COVID-19 nursing shortage in Mississippi. Gunn and Hosemann said they want to give federal American Rescue Plan Act money to hospitals to pay nurses to help with what some health officials said is a shortage statewide of 2,000 nurses during the pandemic. Hosemann and Gunn would provide few details or an estimate of spending, other than they plan to allocate the money to hospital leaders, and let them use it to retain and recruit Mississippi nurses. Gunn said one proposal is for the hospitals to use the money to pay nurses extra under five-month contracts to entice them to stay and work in Mississippi.

Reeves, who has used other emergency funds to hire out-of-state firms and nurses under contract to help with the nursing crisis, has said legislative action and ARPA spending is not needed. Nurses and other health officials have complained that out of town nurses are being paid far more than those already here, further exacerbating the problem of nurses retiring or leaving Mississippi.

Benefits for first responders who die from COVID-19. A 2016 state law that provides $100,0000 death benefits to first responders who die in the line of duty, public safety officials have determined, does not allow payments to families of responders who die from COVID-19. This has brought an outcry from Mississippi law enforcement and others, as numerous first responders have died from the pandemic. A similar federal law providing first responder benefits was changed last year to provide such payments for COVID-19 deaths.

Gunn said a simple change to wording in the law would allow the state to provide payments to law enforcement, firefighters and other first responders who die from COVID-19. Lawmakers on Friday said they knew of eight such deaths in Mississippi, but Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said, “I would expect that number to be more like 30 to 50, if you include firefighters.”

Provide emergency funding to child abuse and domestic violence shelters and programs. Hosemann and Gunn said that regular sources of funding for such programs have been drastically reduced due to the pandemic, while cases of abuse have increased. Hosemann said an initial estimate is that the programs need about $11 million, which would come from the federal ARPA funds.

The post Gov. Reeves noncommittal as Gunn, Hosemann ask him to call special session on marijuana, COVID-19 appeared first on Mississippi Today.

We want to hear directly from the Mississippians impacted by the issues facing our state for our video series, MT Speaks. If you are willing to be featured by speaking with a Mississippi Today reporter about how the pandemic has affected your college experience, please fill out the form below.

About MT Speaks:

At Mississippi Today, we believe an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. That’s why we launched MT Speaks, a video series that connects our reporting with the experiences of residents across the state. You’ll hear directly from the people impacted by the issues facing our state. We hope this series not only keeps you informed but also inspires you to create a better Mississippi.

Fill out the form to participate:

The post Students, faculty and staff: how has your college handled COVID-19? appeared first on Mississippi Today.